Pokemon: The Chosen
by The One True Koneko
Summary: Three friends are dragged into a hidden war of the elements, which threatens to consume the world. They will encounter foes, make allies, and ultimately face destiny. But when the time comes, will they have the courage to risk it all?
1. Prologue & Chapter 1

Pokemon: The Chosen

The One True Koneko

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the series and I don't own Pokemon. If I did, they'd probably get taken away and sent to animal testing. How mean!

Daniel and Chris are © to Viable Solution

All other OCs, people and Pokemon alike, are © to me.

Prologue: Dreams and Visions

He was having that dream again… He'd had it memorized by now. He stood in a field, the tall grass yellow and fit for burning. He struck a match, and tossed it to his feet. Almost instantly, the field was alight. There was a presence nearby, one that was always gone when he turned around. Then he would hear a whisper, and wake up, sweating…

But that was different this time, and he came face to face with a strange man… At least it looked like a man. He had long, ragged blonde hair, and eyes like burning coals. He opened his mouth to speak, but the man held up a hand. "I've been trying to contact you on behalf of my Masters… You are not required to speak until I am finished…"

He looked around, and saw that the man was indeed speaking to him. He turned back to the man, nodding. The man began his proposition. "They think you have what it takes to become a Flame Master, and have named you Chosen. You have every right to deny this, and remain as you are… If you deny, the dreams will cease, and you shall live your life oblivious to the hidden war." There was a pause, during which time the man gave him time to think. "Have you decided? I will warn you, the path of the Chosen is dangerous… You will not last long alone."

He looked down, thinking. Suddenly there was a familiar voice from behind. "Tell your Masters he accepts their offer, danger or not." He turned around, seeing his brother Chris there. Chris had never appeared before, and ever since his letters had stopped coming… the family had assumed he was dead…

The man raised an eyebrow, and then nodded. The flames suddenly got higher, spiraling around them. The man spoke once more before being seemingly consumed. "Do not fear. I will be there soon to guide you, Chosen of Flame…"

Chapter 1: Trainer School

Daniel North sat up in his bed, still groggy from his poor night's sleep. He almost dreaded sleeping now, because he kept having the same dream. "But this time was different…" He hadn't told anyone, not even his mother… He looked into the mirror on his room door. Brown eyes under auburn hair stared back. "You don't look crazy…" he reassured himself. But the bags under his eyes would tell everyone that he'd gotten little sleep in the past few days… _'More like few years…'_ he thought sullenly.

"Dan!" his mother called from the kitchen. "Your food's getting cold!" He really didn't care about that, but what she said next got him moving. "If you don't hurry up, you're going to be late for School!"

_'That's right, Trainer School…'_ Daniel thought, _'And I don't even have a Pokemon…' _He grinned ruefully, and headed into the kitchen. His mom passed him his plate. Bacon and eggs… again… He didn't complain, even though this was the third week of him having this for breakfast… since moving here anyway. It really was all she knew how to cook, after all…

"Thanks Mom… It was good," he said, placing his plate in the sink once he'd finished. He then grabbed his bag and walked out, heading for his new school. He didn't even hear his mom say goodbye, which she probably didn't say anyway. It wasn't like he was going to a different town or city…

He walked down the housing complex's stairs, and down the street, heading where he really didn't want to—or need to—be. "What's the point of going to Trainer School… if you're never going to be a trainer?" he asked. He then remembered the strange man's words. "_…you have what it takes to be a Flame Master… _What does he mean by that? Am I gonna be a Fire-type user?"

The school in Jubilife was… smaller than he'd expected. But he was more concerned with other things as he walked in the door. _'I wanted to say no… but Chris told him that I accepted. Why?'_ he thought. _'Why did Chris even show up? He's dead!'_

A female voice shook him out of his thoughts. "Hello there! You must be Daniel, our new student," the voice said happily. He looked up to see an emerald-haired woman looking down on him with a smile. "I'm Miss Noland, the new teacher here. Well, to be honest I've been teaching at least one year," she said with a giggle.

Dan didn't know what it was, but something about this "teacher" made him want to turn and run. But she was an adult, and a lady, so he simply grinned and tried to ignore it. "Yes ma'am," he said. "Um… where would you like me to sit?"

Miss Noland laughed pleasantly again. "We don't have assigned seats, so it doesn't really matter. Just pick one quickly; we're about to start."

"Yes Ma'am," he said, taking an empty seat near the front. He was soon joined by a pair of other students. They didn't look bored, in fact, once the class started the boy seemed quick to answer any questions.

"Good job Devon!" Miss Noland praised. Devon, a blonde boy with vibrant green eyes, smiled and leaned back into his chair.

"Thank you Miss Noland," he said. Daniel noticed as he leaned back that he had a pokeball attached to his belt. He wondered what kind of Pokemon was inside. Apparently, Devon noticed that he was staring. "Hey, what's up?"

"Huh? Oh… nothing. I just was wondering about your Pokemon." Daniel said, and the girl smiled from behind Devon.

"His Turtwig? There's nothing really special about it…" she said, flipping her dark bluish hair. "I'm Alice Rivera, and my friend is Devon Hill; who are you?"

Daniel found himself blushing slightly. She was cute after all. "I'm Daniel North," he said. "You two are trainers, right?" he asked, and they nodded. Before he could say anything else though, the lunch bell rang. He watched as the two got up and left, sighing. He then followed them outside.

Alice was sitting on a bench, and Devon was standing not far off. Alice waved at him. "Come talk with us Daniel!" she said, motioning to him. He walked over and sat next to her. "You were asking about our Pokemon… Want to see mine?" Without waiting for him to answer, she pulled out a pair of pokeballs. "Come out, Aqua! Ocean!"

There were twin beams of light, and Alice's Pokemon appeared. They were a Vaporeon and a Piplup. Daniel gawked at the two water Pokemon. "I get it," he said. "You're a water-type trainer…"

Alice laughed. "Yes, that's right. I took a test when I was younger, and it said I'm most suited to train water-types." She looked at him, still smiling. "I guess you think it's pretty silly, basing one's future on a test…"

Daniel nodded, "Yeah, but not as silly as what I'm doing…" She looked at him questioningly. "I'm basing my future… on a dream."

"A dream?" asked Devon, who'd been listening in. "Did it have zombies?" he asked with a snort. Alice laughed too, but Daniel just stared at him.

He shook his head. "No, but… there was someone in it who I thought was dead." Devon blew it off, but Alice seemed interested… "I could tell you about it, if you want."

Devon shrugged. "It was just a dream; it's not like it was important…" he said. Alice frowned, opening her mouth to say something. Daniel beat her to the punch.

"I think it's important. You would too, if you had been having it for three years, nearly every time you go to sleep!" he shouted, getting mad. Devon looked at him with a shocked expression. He turned to go, he'd already said too much…

"Devon," he could hear Alice scolding her friend "That wasn't nice at all. Apologize, okay?" Devon didn't say anything. Alice looked at Daniel. "Please don't go…" she pleaded. "I know Devon's quick mouth can get ahead of his brain sometimes… and I want to hear about your dreams."

Daniel turned back to her just in time to see Devon roll his eyes and walk off. He grinned at her. "Okay… I'll tell you."

Alice smiled, and listened intently as he told her his most recent dream. When he finished, she nodded. "I can see why you would want to base your future from that. It sounds so compelling!" She smiled, and then continued. "To be completely honest, I would have done the same thing in your shoes, most likely." She glanced around briefly. "And… I haven't told anyone yet, but just last night I had a dream that was eerily similar to yours Dan…"

Daniel stared at her in disbelief. "That guy showed up for you too?"

"No, it was a woman," Alice said. "I was standing by the ocean, when suddenly this huge tsunami washed over me. Under the water, I saw this beautiful woman. She said I could have what it takes to be the Chosen of Water, and that her Masters wished me to do so."

"What'd you say?" he asked, curious. The look in Alice's eyes told him she'd accepted. "So now there are two of us… The people we met said we wouldn't last long alone…"

"And we found each other," Alice said, clapping her hands together. "It's like we were destined to meet today!"

Daniel nodded. "It's odd…" he said with a slight laugh. The bell rang again, and they headed inside. After the day was through, the three were walking home. "So where do you two live, anyway?" Dan asked.

"I'm from Sandgem town," Alice said "and Devon's from Twinleaf." The trio continued walking, until they reached the apartment complex where Dan was staying. "Bye Daniel! We'll see you tomorrow," Alice said, waving from the bottom of the stairwell.

"Later guys!" he replied, heading up the final flight of steps. He opened the door, walking in to the smell of dinner. "I'm home Mom…"

His mother peeked out from the kitchen area. "Welcome back! Did you have fun today sweetheart?" She retreated back inside as he walked in and shut the door.

Dan smiled. "Yes actually. I met these two kids who were very nice… their Pokemon were nice too." He paused, thinking of how to word his next question. "Mom, not that I don't like it, but, why are you sending me to a trainer school? I thought you didn't want me to be a trainer."

"I don't…" she said. "But I thought that being around them at school would help you settle in and sleep better." She looked at him, smiling. "I want you to stay healthy."

He sighed. "Can't we at least keep a Pokemon as a pet? Like an Eevee or something? If it's about my health and happiness, well, nothing would make me more so!"

His mother looked at him sternly. "I'll think about it. Now, get washed up for dinner, okay?"

"Sure, Mom…" he said… and that was that.

That night, Dan lay in bed, thinking abut the day's events. "I hope he comes back… So I can really accept, and so I can say I'm not alone…" He curled up beneath the covers, and slept.

A different field…

The same messenger…

Words spoken to ashes…

As the flames lick higher…

A promise remains…

"Soon, Chosen of Flame… everything will change."


	2. Chapter 2

Pokemon: The Chosen

The One True Koneko

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the series and I don't own Pokemon. If I did, they'd probably get taken away and sent to animal testing. How mean!

Daniel and Chris are © to Viable Solution.

All other OCs, people and Pokemon alike, are © to me.

Chapter 2: Suspicions and a New Friend

It'd been about a week since Daniel's school year had begun. Already he had two steadfast friends, even though he and Devon were still more like rivals. And then there was Alice; he liked to joke that she was the source of their rivalry.

But all joking aside, the three had been on high alert now since the beginning of school. Alice and Daniel had let Devon in on their dreams, and while he didn't completely believe them, he was their friend, and said he'd stick by them to the end…

Today the trio was walking to school, as was their norm, unaware that already they were being watched. "That's them?" asked a female voice. The voice's owner was obscured by shadows along with an even more shadowy figure. "They're children…"

"Easy, yes?" asked a male voice, the female's companion. "Do you want to kill them now, or have some fun with them first?"

The female chuckled. "Ooh, tough call… You know me, Shade; I'm always up for fun. Go on with your recruitment, and I'll keep tabs on the kiddies." That said, the shadows faded from her, leaving behind a rather lovely redhead in either her late teens or early twenties. She calmly walked after the children, as if she was heading for the city's exit.

The three kept walking oblivious that they were being tailed. As they neared the building, Devon brought up the usual topic. "So, Danny, did your mom get a Pokemon yet?" The made Alice giggle, and Daniel growl.

"No…" he replied. He tried to shove Devon, but missed and lost his balance. "Whoa!"

Devon laughed, and while Dan seriously considered giving it another try, he was soon laughing along with him. Alice snickered. "Boys…" she said, sighing with mock exasperation.

The guys just laughed, and Devon made his usual offer. "How about I catch you a Pokemon, Danny? We can keep it at mine or Ali's place!" As they passed the final alleyway before the school, Daniel was about to say no, when something caught his eye.

"Huh?" he said, looking into the alley. A Growlithe lay curled in a corner, staring at him. "Devon… Alice… Check this out."

Alice looked at the puppy Pokemon. "Aw… He's so cute!" she cooed, approaching the seemingly wild Pokemon. The Growlithe continued to stare up at them.

"Hey, here's your big chance Danny!" Devon said. "Here I'll give you a Pokeball, and you can catch that little guy!"

Daniel was mesmerized by the Growlithe's stare, and didn't hear a word Devon said. To him, the other two weren't even there. It was just him, and that little Pokemon. "…"

The Growlithe stood, revealing a nasty cut that looked infected. But his expression was not pained at all. "I'm glad you came…" he said. Daniel took a few steps back, shocked. "Chosen of Flame, I am here to be your guide."

Alice's voice brought him back to reality. "Daniel..? Hello?" she was saying, asking if he was okay.

"Um, yeah… I'm fine…" he said. He looked back to the Growlithe, which was still curled up in the trash… "Guys, I… I think he might be hurt."

Devon frowned. "Yeah, a wild Pokemon wouldn't let anyone get that close unless something was seriously wrong with them, at least… one on the streets wouldn't."

Alice nodded. "So what do we do?" Just then the bell to come in rang. They now had five minutes to make up their minds. "We can't just leave him here…"

"No, we can't," Dan said, approaching the Growlithe. As he got close the Pokemon stood, revealing the same injury he'd seen when he zoned out. He heard Alice give a gasp, but ignored it. "You'll be okay. We're gong to take you to a Pokemon Center," he said, reaching for the Growlithe.

The puppy Pokemon didn't complain at all when Daniel picked him up. However, Dan had to hold him carefully to make sure the injury didn't bump into anything. Devon nodded. "You want me to explain what's going on to Miss Noland?"

"It'd be best if you both went. I know splitting me and Alice up is a bad idea, but I don't want you two to get in trouble." The other two seemed to understand, and they left, Devon leading Alice by the hand.

Dan watched them go, then turned and began walking toward the Pokemon Center. "You're here to guide me?" he asked quietly, not expecting an actual answer. Regardless, he got one.

"I am," the Growlithe said. This time there was no trance, no dream, the Pokemon had just… talked. "You are the Chosen of Flame, how else could you understand me?"

"That explains why no one seems to notice that you're talking…" Dan said. "So I can understand fire types?"

The Growlithe shook his head. "No, just me. I'm your partner, so you can understand me. Any other fire type, even another Growlithe, you wouldn't be able to talk to like we are now."

"You're a smart little guy," he said as they neared the Center. "So Alice's Pokemon… she can talk to her partner too?"

The little Pokemon nodded. "Your friend Alice is a very special case. She has two partners, because she mostly does tag battles."

They entered the Center, and Dan was almost overwhelmed. The sights and sounds almost made him turn and walk right back out. A reassuring lick from his new friend gave him courage, and he walked up to the counter. "Um, excuse me, Nurse Joy?" he asked.

"Yes, how can I help you?" the nurse asked politely. He placed the Growlithe on the counter.

"This-My… my Growlithe got hurt. Can you help him?" Nurse Joy patted the Growlithe on the head tenderly. She smiled sweetly.

"Don't worry. We'll take good care of your Pokemon," she said. "Oh, but you're a student at the Trainer School, aren't you?"

"Yes Ma'am… I am," he replied, half expecting a scolding. But the nurse simply pulled out a green slip on paper.

"Here," she said, filling it out. "Give this to Miss Noland. She'll understand."

Daniel smiled, walking out of the Center. He walked back to the school, reaching it around lunch. "Devon! Alice!" he shouted when he spotted his friends. They waved him over.

"You are so lucky," Devon said. "Miss Noland understood completely."

Alice nodded. "She said she would have done the same thing in your shoes." Daniel grinned, and started to walk away. "Where are you going?"

He held up the green slip. "I have to give this to Miss Noland," he said with a smile. The other two watched as he headed inside.

Strangely, Miss Noland was nowhere to be found in the classroom. "Miss Noland?" Dan said, walking up to her desk. "Okay… I'm gonna put this on your desk, okay?" he asked, placing the slip onto it.

There was a sudden but soft laugh, and Dan glanced around nervously as he tried to determine its source. A sliver of light caught his attention, and he heard more laughter. He crept over toward the light, as more laughing reached his ears. The classroom had a back door, which explained how Miss Noland got home every night. "Miss Noland?" he asked, opening the door.

There was an instant and unmistakable feeling when he walked out… dread. His teacher's voice reached his ears. "Oh, Daniel!" she said, "I'm glad you finally made it to school."

He looked over, seeing two faces… "Miss Noland…" he said, breathing an inner sigh of relief. His eyes drifted to the second person there, and the feeling of fear increased. "Uh…"

He had sandy blonde hair, and golden eyes. "So, you're Jade's little prodigy?" he asked.

"Oh, no Wes… that'd be Devon, one of my other students," Miss Noland, Jade as the man had called her, said dismissively. She looked over to Dan. "Daniel, this is my boyfriend, Wesley Hunter." She smiled, and walked past him. "I'll go ahead and ring the bell to signal the half-day… Sorry, it's a bit late."

"It's fine Miss Noland," Dan said, keeping his tone respectful as she entered the building. He turned to the man briefly, wanting to ask who he was, but feeling that it'd be safer to follow his teacher into the classroom.

Wesley shrugged his shoulders as the boy walked in. "He's certainly an interesting one…" he began lightheartedly, but then his tone took a decidedly darker turn, "but… he's still an enemy. And that means…" He gave a malicious smirk and faded into the shadows.

After school, the trio was walking to the Pokemon Center. They had agreed to pick up the Growlithe and play with him a bit before heading home. "I can't believe it," Devon was saying. "You finally got your wish Danny!"

"Yeah…" he replied, looking down. Truth be told he hadn't been thinking about his little partner at all. He was much more worried about his teacher's so-called "boyfriend".

Alice, who'd been quiet most of the way, spoke up. "What's wrong, Daniel? Are you worried about the little guy?"

"It's just…" he started. "I doubt Mom's just going to let me bring in some Pokemon off the streets. We need a backup plan." He knew it was a lie, and he knew he was wrong for telling it, but now that he had it seemed to be a concern. "She told me we'd get a pet, but she keeps putting it off…"

Devon grinned. "Just explain what happened. I'm sure she'll understand." He chuckled, "Heh, just like Miss Noland."

"Devon, shut up," Daniel said. He really didn't feel like bringing up their teacher.

They finally reached the Center. Nurse Joy was there to greet them. "Ah, you're right on time…" she said, "Your Growlithe is feeling much better now that we've fixed him up. Would you like him back now?"

"Yes please," Dan said. "Thank you Nurse Joy."

The nurse went back to retrieve the Growlithe, which wouldn't take long. In the short time they waited, Dan decided to explain what he'd seen. "…And I don't know what it was, but he scared me. I felt nothing but dread when I was there with him."

"Maybe it's because you're a Chosen now…" Alice said. "We aren't normal people… at least I don't think we are."

"Yeah, like how Ali can talk to Ocean and Aqua," Devon said. "I'd give just about anything to be able to talk to Turtwig."

Their conversation was interrupted by the clicking of claws on the Center's tile flooring. The little Growlithe came running up, jumping into Dan's lap. "Hey buddy!" he said, stroking the Pokemon's fur.

"I knew you'd come back for me… Partner," the Growlithe replied, licking his face and wagging his tail.

"Hey, cut it out, quit…" Dan said, playfully pushing at the puppy Pokemon. The Growlithe responded by jumping off and trotting over to Alice.

He wagged his tail as she stroked his fur. Alice smiled. "He's so cute… I wish he was mine… then we could play all the time."

Nurse Joy smiled also. "I hope you drop by again if you ever have any further troubles."

They reached the apartment close to dark. Daniel's mom was waiting outside. "Dan! Where have you been?" she asked. "Do you realize how worried I was? Your dinner was ready thirty minutes ago!"

"Sorry Mom, we were just…" Daniel started, looking down. He was holding the Growlithe in his arms. "We were helping this little guy."

That's when his mother noticed the little Pokemon. "Dan… What is that thing and where did you get it?"

"He's just a Growlithe, Mom…" he replied quietly. "I found him near school. He was hurt so I took him to the Pokemon Center…"

"It probably belongs to someone else…" his mom said. "I'll let it spend the night, but first thing tomorrow you are taking it back to the Center and telling Nurse Joy that it's not your Pokemon."

"Yes Ma'am…" Daniel said, starting up the steps to their apartment.

The Growlithe spoke as he reached for the door handle. "Your mother does not like Pokemon?" he asked, looking up at Dan.

"No, she just doesn't like Trainers," he answered, and that seemed to satisfy the puppy Pokemon's curiosity. At least that's how it seemed. He waited until they were in Daniel's room before asking why. Dan frowned, growling a little. He hated it when the topic fell to his brother. "It's not important."

The Growlithe left things at that, curling next to him as he settled down for the night. Soon they were both in a deep, dreamless sleep.

202

Later that night, the two dark figures met just below Dan's window. "How'd your recruiting go, Shade?" the redhead asked.

"Not so good. The Chosen came in before I could finish corrupting the teacher," the man replied. He turned, looking up at the window. His face was revealed as Wesley Hunter's. "We should've killed the two then and there," he said. "If you'd felt his power, you'd be saying the same thing, Heart."

Heart giggled. "You always were the serious type," she said, reaching over and kissing him softly.


	3. Chapter 3

Pokemon: The Chosen

The One True Koneko

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the series and I don't own Pokémon. If I did, they'd probably get taken away and sent to animal testing. How mean!

Daniel and Chris are © to Viable Solution

All other OCs, people and Pokémon alike, are © to me.

Chapter 3: Corruption and a Battle

Dan awoke the next morning from one of the best, if not the best, sleeps of his life. His friend the Growlithe however, was nowhere to be found. He checked everywhere, but to no avail. His mother was out as well, so he guessed that she had taken the Pokemon to the Center while he had been asleep. This stunk, considering he had at least wanted to say goodbye.

The door clicked open to the apartment and his mom walked in. "Mom, where's the Growlithe?" he asked, not wanting to point any fingers just yet.

His mother looked at him briefly. "It ran out when I opened the door. Did you have any plans with your friends, Dan?" she asked. It was Saturday, which meant school was out.

Dan nodded. "Yeah, but I'm more worried about that little Pokémon. I didn't go though all that trouble just to have him get hurt on the streets again." He saw his mom grimace. "This is important to me Mom…"

"And you are important to me…" she replied. "Every night you come home, you ask when we're going to get a Pokémon…"

"You're the one who said we would," Daniel retorted. "But you aren't going to get one for us, are you? If that'd been your plan you wouldn't have minded when I brought that Growlithe home."

"No, I just don't want a Pokémon that could potentially burn down our apartment," she said, trying to make an excuse.

But Dan didn't buy it. "Mom… ever since Chris died you've been afraid that I'll leave you too… but I think it's time I told you something very important."

He told her everything. About his and Alice's dreams, Miss Noland's boyfriend, the Growlithe, everything he could tell her, he did. When he'd finished, she was staring out their window with a blank look on her face. "Mom, that's why I need to find that Growlithe. He's no ordinary Pokémon; he's my destined Partner."

She shuddered, turning her head to look at him. The tears were silently falling down her face. "Dan…" she said, her face looking sad and furious at the same time. "You can't be serious… You're a child; you can't just go wandering off when you so obviously need mental help."

"Mom I'm not crazy!" he almost shouted. "If you want to punish me for wanting to do what I think is right, then you can do it after I get back."

Without waiting for her reply, he walked out of the apartment and down the stairs. He began walking, looking for his little Partner. "What was I thinking?" he said softly. Under normal circumstances, he would never have almost yelled like that at his mother, let alone walked out on her. But there was no turning back now, not after what he'd said. "I can't go back… until this is finished."

But that still left the challenge of finding the Growlithe. He spotted his friends walking up the street toward his apartment. Devon waved vigorously, picking up his pace. Alice smiled cheerfully, following her friend. "Hey Danny, where's your Growlithe?" Devon asked.

"He got out, at least that's what Mom said," Daniel replied. "I… kind of blew my top at her when I found out. Long story short, she knows about what's been going on… and I'm not going back to the apartment any time soon."

Alice frowned. "Maybe you should go back and apologize…"

Daniel shook his head. "Not until I at least find my partner. We might talk after that."

Devon whistled, "She made you pretty mad, huh?"

"She called me crazy… said I needed mental help," Dan replied, starting toward the Pokémon Center. Alice and Devon exchanged worried looks before following their friend.

They entered the center, and Alice walked up to the counter. "Excuse me, but we're looking for our friend's Growlithe…" she began. Nurse Joy smiled brightly.

"I'm sorry, but there aren't any Growlithe checked in at the moment. They're rather rare in this region…" she said.

They thanked her anyway, heading out feeling slightly defeated. "I could've sworn he'd have been there…" Daniel said. "Maybe he really did run away, but why?"

Devon frowned. "There has to be a reason… If he's really your partner, he'd have a good reason for leaving you like that."

Alice was walking slightly ahead, "We just need to keep a positive attitude. We'll find him…"

The fact that they cared made him grin a little… They kept walking until they reached the school. "Miss Noland is normally doing paperwork right now…" Devon said. "Maybe she'll help. I'll check if she's in…" He ran up to the doors, knocking loudly. "Hey Miss Noland! Are you in there?"

"I don't think she's in, Devon," Alice said, walking up to her friend.

Daniel watched as she did so, he started walking away from the school… toward the alley where he and his friends had first found the Growlithe. He stared into the shadows. "What did I do wrong?" he asked.

"Faint Attack…" he heard a voice say. He squinted his eyes, trying to peer into the darkness. Suddenly, a figure burst from the pitch black walls. He let out a choked scream as he was pinned to the ground. The darkness seemed to react poorly in the sunlight, retreating back to the alley. His eyes widened. There, holding him down, was Wesley Hunter. He raised an arm, collecting darkness around it. "It's over, Chosen of Flame…" he said. His voice was different… "I promise I'll make it quick…"

Dan struggled as the shape of a dark blade became apparent in Wes' hand. "Alice! Devon!" he yelled, knowing his friends could hear him.

Alice arrived first, sending out her partners. "Ocean, Aqua, use Water gun!" she shouted. Her partners fired two precise jets of water, hitting Wes in the face.

"Ah!" he said, reeling back in shock. Dan used the opportunity to take a swing at the man's head. His fist connected with Wes' ear, "Argh! You brat!" he shouted, staggering off of him.

Dan got to his feet. Wes was glaring at him, when suddenly a grin spread across his face. He reached over to the shadows, and a large mass of it flew out for him to take. He wondered at first what sort of plot he was hatching, but as the darkness faded from the figure it held, he realized what he'd done. "Miss Noland!" both he and Alice yelled.

303

"Is this it?" asked the lilac-haired teen he led. The Growlithe nodded. Her friend behind her seemed skeptical.

"Psychi, the last thing we need to do is to follow some random Growlithe…" said the slightly older brunette male behind them.

The girl turned to her friend. "Gary, he says he can lead us to his partner…" The brunette frowned. "You're the one who accepted your fate as a Chosen. So have I… but if what the ancients we spoke to said was true, we need to find our allies."

The brunette chuckled. "Whatever… What do you think about this Umbreon?" he asked his partner, who had remained silent for most of the trip.

The black and gold Pokémon sat down. "I'll say this much… it'd better be worth it." He turned to the Growlithe. "Not that it matters what I think anyway… We're beyond turning back."

The four neared the city of Jubilife… the Growlithe leading the way.

303

Devon hadn't arrived yet, which was cause for concern for Daniel and Alice. They had no way of knowing what was wrong. "Miss Noland!" shouted Dan. "Let her go you jerk!"

Their teacher's eyes fluttered open. "What..?" she asked. "Wes?" she asked, noticing that he held her.

Wesley grinned. "You said you'd do anything for me… I say it's time to hold you to those words Jade."

Miss Noland's eyes widened. "No… I told you to find someone else! I won't side with monsters like you and that other woman." She struggled free, starting toward Daniel and Alice.

Wesley chuckled. "I'm afraid you haven't got a choice, my dear…" he said, pointing at her. A shot of darkness flew from his fingertip, hitting her in the back. She gave a choked cry and fell to the pavement.

"No!" Dan yelled. He ran toward her, but something in him said that she was beyond helping. Suddenly he heard Alice yell for him to watch out. A split second later, he felt a searing heat hit him dead on. "Argh!" he growled, hitting the ground.

"Daniel!" Alice shrieked when he fell. She turned to see a woman with her red hair up in two short pigtails.

The woman giggled. "I thought you said they had power, Shade… This is such a letdown." She looked at Alice. "Maybe the Chosen of Water, my sacred rival, can give me a challenge." Fire began to swirl around her hands as she approached.

"Turtwig! Use razor leaf!" said a familiar voice. Devon skidded to a stop in between Alice and the fire woman. "Miss me? Sorry it took so long…"

"Devon…" Alice said, happy he'd finally come.

The woman waved her hand at the incoming leaves, incinerating them. She yawned. "Out of our way, boy… Shade and I don't have time to play with normal children."

"Oh no, it doesn't work like that…" Devon said. "You were hurting my friends, and that's not gonna cut it. Turtwig, you ready?"

The little Pokémon nodded, bracing itself for whatever could happen.

"Ali, go check on Danny, okay?" he said. Alice nodded, returning her partners and running over to see what'd been done damage wise. Daniel was just getting to his feet, and there was pretty bad burn sear that went through his jacket and shirt, exposing his back.

She reached him just as Miss Noland began standing as well… "Are you okay?" she asked them both worriedly.

"Alice…" Dan said. "Don't… don't go near her."

"Dan, what do you mean? Ah!" she yelped suddenly as the teacher grabbed her wrist. "Ow! Hey, that hurts!" she said, trying to pull away.

Miss Noland giggled as Alice pulled free. "What's the matter, dearie? Scared of, lil' ol' me?" she said. Wes in the mean time was watching with a mild interest. She turned to look at him. "Oh hi Shade, long time no see!"

"Hey, Butterfly…" he replied. "I knew you wanted to be a pretty one this time… So…"

"Miss Noland? What's going on?" Alice asked. "Why are you acting so strangely?"

Daniel watched as Miss Noland, "Butterfly" as she'd just been called, stood. "She's not Miss Noland…" he said darkly.

"Well…" Butterfly said, "It looks like this Chosen of Flame isn't a total idiot. That will make things interesting…"

Daniel gritted his teeth. "Where's the real Miss Noland?" he asked her. Butterfly laughed. "Answer me!"

"Oh very well… She's gone… gone for good." Butterfly twirled around. "I hate to say it, but that woman was far too weak. I was able to take over easy…" She gave another sickeningly giddy laugh.

Alice got behind Daniel. "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah…" he replied. He looked over to Wes. "You… This is your doing!" he shouted at him. Wesley turned, looking at them. "Who are you?"

"You already know me as my old name…" Wes said, "But I am not that man… I am Shade, the Fallen Shadow."

"And I am Butterfly, the Fallen Insect," Butterfly said cheerily. "Shade, allow me the honor of finishing them; I long to stretch my limits." Having said that, she promptly kicked Daniel back to the ground. He landed or his back, and gasped with the pain that shot through his body. Alice reached for Aqua's Pokeball but stopped when Butterfly placed a foot on Daniel's throat. "Let me do it Shade…"

"Please! Don't!" Alice begged.

Shade smirked, and looked like he was about to allow it. Suddenly he turned away, "We're leaving…" Butterfly looked at him curiously, but nodded and removed her foot. "Heart! Quit playing around and move out!" he barked at the fire woman. "Others are coming…"

The fire woman had been holding Devon in a chokehold. Turtwig lay motionless on the pavement, badly burnt it seemed. Devon was better, but his face had been scorched near his right eye. His clothing was also charred in several places… She looked disappointed when she let him go. "You're weak… even by human standards" she said, letting him stagger over to his Pokémon.

"Turtwig… I'm so sorry…" he said, gently picking up the little creature.

The three left, and Daniel, Alice, and Devon began to pull themselves together. Dan looked over to Alice. She was looking down with shame on her face. "What's wrong?" he asked.

She choked back a sob. "I-I just froze. I saw you two being hurt and I couldn't do anything… Ugh! I'm such a coward!"

"We need to head for the Center though… Devon's Turtwig got hurt pretty badly…" he reminded, mostly to get her mind off of it.

"Guys…" Devon said, his voice hoarse, "Turtwig isn't breathing…"


End file.
